✧⋆— landslide ̖́-

          “--- it’s okay, you know,” patty spoke after a long silence. “you can mention barry about me. his name doesn’t make me cry... anymore, i promise. i know he’s married to iris, and i’m happy for him. honestly, i really am.” besides, it wasn’t like she could compete or change things. they were barry and iris, practically written in the stars. it took a while, but patty eventually accepted that and attempted to move on. though it did hurt a little to watch the relationship unfold on her facebook timeline. thankfully, she buried her head in her work and studies and it got a little better to cope with, and now... well, now there was daniel. when a breath was suggested, patty nodded slowly and took a deep breath, though she almost forgot to exhale as the reality of the situation took over again. “ikindofgotmarriedtoaguyibarelyknowandnowidon’tknowwhattodo,” she fired out, cheeks burning brick red.

          “would you still say that if i said it might involve me needing to seek out legal advice? or, at least, some form of lawyer?” patty asked, eyebrow arched as fingers fidgeted with the edges of her sleeves. “i uh... got married,” she lifted a hand and displayed the panda ring. a ring, for some reason, that she had yet to remove.

          “i’m not much of a drinker. well, i’m not supposed to be - not with my kind of job,, anyway,” patty practically rambled through her reply. “it was just the -- i guess i just wanted to relax after... you know,” she waved a hand around in place of her words, making a face. that weekend was rough on everyone, but she doubted anyone was stupid enough to go out and get themselves married while intoxicated. this seemed like a mess isolated to just herself and, well... daniel. “did you ever wake up in the morning with a panda ring on your finger and an official registry form because -- because if not then you’re really missing out on life...” god, that was a terrible joke, and the fact that she was deadly silent afterwards showed that she knew that.

          “you’d be surprised,” patty groaned as forehead met hand. normally she wasn’t one for dramatics but this felt like a situation that called for it, and she couldn’t get rid of the desire to crawl into a hole and never come back out again. “put it this way, my mom never misses an opportunity to brag about me, but after this? i don’t think she’ll even want to bring me up in conversation ever again. it’s that bad.”

          “walker... david -- no, daniel... daniel walker, right?” god, she felt like an idiot. she could already hear her mother’s voice ringing in her ears, berating her daughter’s stupidity for marrying someone she didn’t know while drunk. it was like the ultimate no-no when it came to patricia spivot’s mother. reaching up, she pinched the bridge of her nose then offered the somewhat familiar male a smile. “do you remember much from last night? i mean, i remember you from the fires and you helped me rescue that dog then gave me a ride to vegas to see my mom, but other than that it’s pretty hazy. what -- what are we going to do?”

          patty dropped her head forward and hid behind her hands for a moment or two. the last person she expected to have this conversation with was her ex; an ex that would always mean the world to her, and the redness that was rushing to her ears right now was betraying the fact that she was trying to hide her shame. “to be fair, i’ve seen you cry over chicken nuggets so wings doesn’t surprise me at all,” she muttered, the attempt of a joke lingering on the edge of her tongue. damn it. “i uh -- let’s just say you’re not the only one who has made it official. the only difference is that you’re in love and i was uh... drunk.”

          “and here was me thinking that i was the optimistic one,” patty laughed as she sat down beside him, eyes double checking the damage on his face despite him ensuring her that he was okay. she didn’t quite believe him, but that was going to go unsaid. the look on her face spoke loud enough, anyway. “do you want me to arrest that piece of metal? i think i can do that. well... i haven’t exactly found anything about it in the rule book, but i could always add it?” she laughed, softly. “are you sure you don’t need anything? water? painkillers? you should at least rest, anyway”

          “oh, i know,” patty nodded slowly as she gave the younger female a small smile. “i wasn’t actually looking to drink, i was just -- i’m working, actually,” she went on to say. “i’m just going around to make sure that the clean up that’s happening around the city is going okay and that everyone is safe... and stuff.” patty rubbed at the back of her neck as she glanced around, the once majestic scenery now nothing but a memory in the minds of those that lived there; a memory now scarred by flames and blood. maybe she should have stayed gone if this was what was going to be her life now -- then again, it was the life she chased, wasn’t it? it had to be... “is there anything i can help you with?”

          patty barely heard a word her colleague said as she stared at a spot on the wall, a half finished beer pinned between her hands. after what seemed like an eternity, patty turned her head as green eyes widened. “oh... you won,” she pointed out mindlessly. “that means i buy the next round, right? i... forgot the wager.”